The Breath Between Us
by hilzanne
Summary: One hand on his thigh and the other clutching his wrist, Maka stared into his wild eyes. Her forehead nearly resting against his, her intensity dared Soul to resist. Unfazed, he raised his chin so their foreheads were flush against each other. "What will you do to get it?" his silky voice goaded.


**First Soul Eater fan fiction. Just finished the show for the first time and I cannot stop setting this ship out to sail the open seas. Hope you enjoy!**

Shoulder to shoulder they sat in their pajamas, both pairs of eyes fixated on the television. Such was their evening ritual; Soul flipping through channels and Maka expressing her displeasure with everything he chose.

"Well I'm not watching that girly crap you like. You're just going to have to deal with whatever I pick," Soul grouched.

Maka rolled her eyes. "Or we could watch something we _both_ like."

"Nope. Not possible. Your taste in TV is awful."

Her expression soured. "Yeah, you're probably right..."

Without warning, Maka lunged across Soul, stretching towards the remote resting in his hand on the arm of the couch. His hand shot into the air, barely dodging her. She reached for it again, placing her hand on his thigh for leverage.

"C'mon Soul, let me have it! Just for once!" she begged.

He snickered, extending his arm back and away from her. She snatched his wrist and lowered her intense glare to Soul's piercing crimson eyes. His smirk was playful, and he raised an eyebrow, challenging her. But she did not break his gaze.

One hand on his thigh and the other clutching his wrist, Maka stared into his wild eyes. Her forehead nearly resting against his, her intensity dared Soul to resist.

"Give. Me. The remote," she breathed with ferocity.

Unfazed, he raised his chin so their foreheads were flush against each other.

"And what if I don't? What will you do to get it?" his silky voice goaded.

She knew he meant it to be innocuous, but her cheeks began to flush fiercely. That calculating coolness in his delivery, the subtle purr in his throat when he spoke, his naturally hooded eyelids... 

_Maka was jolted awake. Head resting in an open text book at the kitchen table, she craned her neck side to side to relieve the stiffness. When she sat up, something slid down her shoulders. A fluffy sherpa with a black and white herringbone pattern._

 _Soul's blanket._

 _She felt warmth spread from the pit of her stomach to her cheeks and she replaced it across her shoulders, snuggling into it deeply. It smelled like him. She wondered when he might have placed the blanket around her, but she must have been soundly asleep._

 _The image of Soul extending such a simple, kind gesture made her swell with affection for him. Maka tried to fight it._

It's just a silly blanket, _she thought. But the corners of her lips curled into a smile despite herself._

 _That small moment, that token of tenderness made her see her weapon partner in an entirely new light._

 _He had such capability for softness and selflessness, traits she never had the privilege to see him express. Yet here they were, resting comfortably around her shoulders._

 _A shuffling from the couch caught her attention. Still wrapped in the blanket, she walked over to the living room and peaked over the back of the sofa. Soul was curled tightly into a ball, fast asleep._

 _Maka examined his masculine features. Sharp jaw, strong brow, high cheekbones, delicate nose. His snowy hair fell messily over the pillow he was clinging to. She smiled, feeling the warmth creep back into her cheeks. He was so handsome when he was peaceful._

 _Maka removed the sherpa from her shoulders and quietly walked around to the front of the couch. Carefully, she draped the large throw over her partner. She knelt down in front of his sleeping form, gazing at his softened expression. His bangs hung low over his eyes, and she feathered them away with the tips of her fingers._

 _To her surprise and slight panic, Soul stirred, sighing and reaching his hand to meet Maka's. He lightly grasped her fingers, giving them a gentle squeeze. The corners of his lips turned up into a small smile before he released her and turned over._

He's... _she thought to herself._ Wonderful? Incredible? Amazing?

 _But no word seemed quite articulate enough._

 _Maka watched Soul snuggle into the blanket before falling motionless once again. She could not erase the smile from her face, or the affection brewing in her chest. She collected her textbook and padded quietly to her room, but not before giving one final glance to the couch._

Damnit. I should have known I would fall for him someday, _she thought._

 _Smile still plastered to her face, Maka cursed herself bittersweetly._

He was handsome indeed. And quite more. Awkwardly positioned over him and still reaching towards the remote, Maka's concentration was shattered by Soul's alluring expression. Blood racing to her cheeks, she swallowed hard.

But Soul was keen. He grabbed Maka's ribs and squeezed, sending a jolt through her body and making her squeal. Her elbows shot to her sides to protect herself.

"Hey! Tickling is not fair and you know it!" she glowered.

Soul smirked, tossing the remote and catching it. "All's fair in love and war. Saw my opening, so I went for it."

Maka sucked on her lips, pouting like a petulant child. She crossed her arms and sat back into the couch, crowding Soul. She felt his eyes burning into her.

"Don't be such a grump," he said, stretching his arms high. "Captain Death: The First Meister is coming on. Didn't you want to see that?" He yawned and sprawled his arms across the back of the couch.

Maka smiled to herself.

"See, I knew there was something we would both like," she said defiantly, sliding under Soul's arm and into his side. He slid sharply away, eyeing her carefully.

"What?" she asked, afraid he didn't want her cuddled up next to him.

He relaxed, smirking. "I thought you were just trying to get me back for tickling you," he laughed, placing his arm over her shoulder.

Maka turned her face away, smiling. "Not yet. When you least expect it."

Throughout the movie, the pair became more and more relaxed. Soul slouched against the arm of the couch, Maka laid her head on his shoulder, he laid his cheek on top of her head. Her heart thrummed with pleasure.

 _I can't believe we're actually kind of cuddling. This is... Really nice,_ she thought.

They became more comfortable the longer the film went on; an arm wrapped around here, some gentle hair ruffling there. By the time the final battle had begun, the pair were half-laying, sprawled across the couch with Maka's arms around Soul's waist, ear pressed against his chest. She sighed in contentment.

"What," Soul asked in a whisper, running his fingers over her scalp.

Maka peeked up at her partner. "Nothing. This is just... Nice, actually."

He half-smiled. "Yeah, it kind of is. It's warm."

Boldness growing within her, Maka asked, "Why haven't we done this before?"

"Never thought you wanted to," he stated simply.

Maka smiled, snuggling up under Soul's chin. "I figured you wouldn't think it was _cool._ Never took you for a cuddler," she said, placing a hand on his chest.

"Psh," he dismissed. "Everyone likes to cuddle."

"Even Black Star?" Maka asked facetiously.

Soul chuckled. "Pretty sure he cuddles with a teddy bear every single night. But don't tell him I told you that."

She laughed. "Of course! You have to balance out that tough guy act some way or another."

"Yeah," he sighed. "It's hard to be _this_ cool all the time. But cuddling is cool, too."

Maka tried to hide the blush rising in her pale cheeks. They sat in comfortable silence for several moments, watching as Captain Death dealt the final blow in the grand finale of the film.

Maka's ear lay flush on Soul's chest, listening to his heart pump steady and sure.

"You know," she started quietly. "It's good for weapon partners to be close like this."

"Yeah," Soul replied softly.

"A healthy personal relationship can build trust and increase resonance potential."

"Mm-hmm," he purred, resting his hand on her back.

She bit her lip, steeling herself to speak the next words. "We should... Do this again sometime. If you want."

"Anytime, meister," he said, a gentleness hiding in his voice.

Smiling uncontrollably, Maka placed her forehead on Soul's neck. She breathed in his scent and relished their closeness. He turned towards her, nuzzling into the top of her head.

Her heart soared as her partner held her close. She perceived his soul's state; perfectly content and secure. Just like hers.

Maka's heart ached to kiss him. But cuddling was one thing; kissing, another. She couldn't help feeling desperately close to him in this moment. Would she muck up their seamless partnership by wanting more?

As long as she kept her lips to herself, she was in no danger, she figured. But that did not mean she had to stop cuddling.

Her partner's hands were lightly scratching her back and playing in her hair as she slowly dragged her cheek along Soul's slender neck. He breathed a pleasant sigh as Maka's nose brushed over his ear. Their skin grazed against one another's as her hand found Soul's soft snowy hair. She gently drew her nails across his scalp, pressing his temple into her own.

Soul cupped Maka's neck, relaxing the weight of his head onto hers. He turned toward her, exhaling deeply as their foreheads met. Jade eyes met crimson and the tips of their noses barely touched.

Never so tempted in her life, Maka held her neck erect with all her might. If she relaxed, her lips would fall flush against Soul's. Heart drumming loudly in her chest, she bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes, exhaling away her temptation.

She was just about to turn away when Soul's fingers brushed along her jaw.

"Maka," he breathed. "Look at me."

Her lids lifted heavy weights as their eyes made contact once again. Pulse hammering, cheeks ablaze, the temptation returned.

His gravity was intense. She was drawn to him with such magnitude, she knew she could not resist much longer.

Soul guided Maka gently, slowly towards him. Both pairs of eyes fell closed and braced for impact.

A burst of sparks in Maka's soul erupted when his lips tenderly brushed, then pressed against hers. She obliged, her head drowning in euphoria. The walls of insecurity and fear crumbled around them as their hearts beat wildly together. Soul's lips dragged lazily across Maka's, followed by a brief graze of his tongue. She forgot how to breathe.

Her body collapsed, and all tension melted from her limbs. Time ceased to pass. A radiant warmth from deep within her soul diffused throughout her as she savored Soul's lips and tongue against her own. His hands left trails of sparks as he caressed her arms and neck, eventually settling to cradle both sides of her face.

A contented sigh escaped Maka's lips as Soul broke their connection.

"So, when did you want to do this agian?" he smirked playfully.

Her heart fluttered at the sight of Soul's flushed cheeks.

"I only meant the cuddling part," she grinned. "But I think I could get used to a little of this, too. If that's _cool_ with you."

Soul cocked an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth turned up into a coy smile. "Very cool with me."


End file.
